exactly, the Government before that it was golf courses, fish plants and dozens of human rights cases paid out, it's something with every Government.

And this is an example of attitude why we have no accountability when it does happen.

I have been struggling with this election a fair bit, still haven't decided who to vote for, but I can say for sure that the whole 'be more accountable, more transparent, a new direction' stuff does not resonate with me at all.

It is not that I do not hope a new government will be all those things, but it is an empty campaign promise that is repeated by every single party trying to take power from a governing party. It is so used that it just has no meaning, because there is never an actual plan, it is just pandering to public sentiment.

exactly, the Government before that it was golf courses, fish plants and dozens of human rights cases paid out, it's something with every Government.

And this is an example of attitude why we have no accountability when it does happen.

I have been struggling with this election a fair bit, still haven't decided who to vote for, but I can say for sure that the whole 'be more accountable, more transparent, a new direction' stuff does not resonate with me at all.

It is not that I do not hope a new government will be all those things, but it is an empty campaign promise that is repeated by every single party trying to take power from a governing party. It is so used that it just has no meaning, because there is never an actual plan, it is just pandering to public sentiment.

I would have thought that the Green party would be a perfect fit for you?

The big problem is that Islanders tend to keep the same party in power for 3 terms. IMO, Islanders need to smarten up and vote government out after a single term for broken promises and/or poor performance. Maybe then they will get the message and we will have some true accountability.That being said, I am voting PC this time. With young children, I cannot accept how oversized the Liberals let some classroom become. Kids who struggle are falling through the cracks due to teaching cuts and lack of resources. Lantz has pledged minimum classroom sizes, which means a lot to my family. Should he get in and break this promise, I will be the first one to vote him out next time.As for the Greens and NDP, I have serious concerns on how fiscally responsible they would be if elected. Also, when a party takes a stand on a divisive wedge issue, you risk alienating many voters who hold the opposing view. Such is the case with me.

The big problem is that Islanders tend to keep the same party in power for 3 terms. IMO, Islanders need to smarten up and vote government out after a single term for broken promises and/or poor performance. Maybe then they will get the message and we will have some true accountability.That being said, I am voting PC this time. With young children, I cannot accept how oversized the Liberals let some classroom become. Kids who struggle are falling through the cracks due to teaching cuts and lack of resources. Lantz has pledged minimum classroom sizes, which means a lot to my family. Should he get in and break this promise, I will be the first one to vote him out next time.As for the Greens and NDP, I have serious concerns on how fiscally responsible they would be if elected. Also, when a party takes a stand on a divisive wedge issue, you risk alienating many voters who hold the opposing view. Such is the case with me.

Hey Mom, By far, one of the best political posts I've seen on this forum ever. And if everyone used that same logic, when voting, then we wouldn't be in the sorry state we're in right now. I actually agree on both your points and I too struggle with the fiscal responsibility of the other parties and their option to take sides on those sensitive issues....but then again, we'll never know how well they may do if we never give them a chance.

If people want more transparency, honesty and accountability, there is only one option. Proportional representation. If we had that we'd have a minority government right now with three other parties keeping them accountable.

Huh? And here on PEI, the PC's stance on abortion differed from the Liberal's how?

As I understand it, the PC's said no change whatsoever whereas the Liberals said that they would remove the restriction that a doctor's referral was needed and they would increase travel expense funding. The Liberal position being less etched in the status quo stone, but still not what is needed. I guess they were hoping to play the "middle of the road" game?

Huh? And here on PEI, the PC's stance on abortion differed from the Liberal's how?

As I understand it, the PC's said no change whatsoever whereas the Liberals said that they would remove the restriction that a doctor's referral was needed and they would increase travel expense funding. The Liberal position being less etched in the status quo stone, but still not what is needed. I guess they were hoping to play the "middle of the road" game?

I would be shocked if that subtle difference swayed 26 votes in that district, but no way of ever knowing for sure!

exactly, the Government before that it was golf courses, fish plants and dozens of human rights cases paid out, it's something with every Government.

And this is an example of attitude why we have no accountability when it does happen.

I have been struggling with this election a fair bit, still haven't decided who to vote for, but I can say for sure that the whole 'be more accountable, more transparent, a new direction' stuff does not resonate with me at all.

It is not that I do not hope a new government will be all those things, but it is an empty campaign promise that is repeated by every single party trying to take power from a governing party. It is so used that it just has no meaning, because there is never an actual plan, it is just pandering to public sentiment.

I would have thought that the Green party would be a perfect fit for you?

Also, when a party takes a stand on a divisive wedge issue, you risk alienating many voters who hold the opposing view. Such is the case with me.

I think Rob Lantz learned this the hard way as I think his party's stance on abortion cost him a seat.

I'm not so sure that the abortion issue is as big a factor as people think. Other factors like, party vs person and voter discontent with the 2 main parties probably played a bigger factor.

Given how many voted Liberal and Conservative, it obviously wasn't a big issue for most, but I know a not insignificant number for whom it was a deal breaker, and a lot of them were inclined not to vote Liberal. Over 20% voted for third parties because they wanted change, and I think a lot of them voted that way rather than Conservative due to the abortion stance. I think it could easily have cost Lantz his seat.

Also, when a party takes a stand on a divisive wedge issue, you risk alienating many voters who hold the opposing view. Such is the case with me.

I think Rob Lantz learned this the hard way as I think his party's stance on abortion cost him a seat.

I'm not so sure that the abortion issue is as big a factor as people think. Other factors like, party vs person and voter discontent with the 2 main parties probably played a bigger factor.

Given how many voted Liberal and Conservative, it obviously wasn't a big issue for most, but I know a not insignificant number for whom it was a deal breaker, and a lot of them were inclined not to vote Liberal. Over 20% voted for third parties because they wanted change, and I think a lot of them voted that way rather than Conservative due to the abortion stance. I think it could easily have cost Lantz his seat.

Think what you will, but had he come out in favour of bringing abortions to PEI, I believe would have lost a significant amount of his base vote...he would have lost by a landslide.

Here is my theory...his pledge to dig deep into controversial programs did not sit well with many well to do families in district 13 who may have benefitted from said programs.

Also, when a party takes a stand on a divisive wedge issue, you risk alienating many voters who hold the opposing view. Such is the case with me.

I think Rob Lantz learned this the hard way as I think his party's stance on abortion cost him a seat.

I'm not so sure that the abortion issue is as big a factor as people think. Other factors like, party vs person and voter discontent with the 2 main parties probably played a bigger factor.

Given how many voted Liberal and Conservative, it obviously wasn't a big issue for most, but I know a not insignificant number for whom it was a deal breaker, and a lot of them were inclined not to vote Liberal. Over 20% voted for third parties because they wanted change, and I think a lot of them voted that way rather than Conservative due to the abortion stance. I think it could easily have cost Lantz his seat.

Think what you will, but had he come out in favour of bringing abortions to PEI, I believe would have lost a significant amount of his base vote...he would have lost by a landslide.

Here is my theory...his pledge to dig deep into controversial programs did not sit well with many well to do families in district 13 who may have benefitted from said programs.

I'm not convinced he would have lost a significant amount of his base vote, but I totally agree on the promise to dig deep into the PNP(which touches a lot of people and their friends and family). I never met the guy, but to me he came across as too unapproachable and serious.

I'm not convinced he would have lost a significant amount of his base vote, but I totally agree on the promise to dig deep into the PNP(which touches a lot of people and their friends and family). I never met the guy, but to me he came across as too unapproachable and serious.

Promising to dig into something that is dead and gone to me is part of the overall problem with his campaign. Much better than Olive's campaign, but still very much focused on negatives. He needed a better balance between reminding people of things like PNP and harping on them.

The film tax video he did was really clever, and had he done more of that and less attack ads or check cutting gimmicks the results may have been different.

I think he just didn't have enough time to get comfortable in his role as opposition leader. He seemed very nervous at the CBC debates and he just didn't seem as comfortable about provincial issues as he was with city issues when he was a councillor. I think the early election call was a big disadvantage for him as well. He seemed like a nice, genuine guy though. I think he would have been great to have in the legislature.